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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Syrians die and a downed plane--cooperation rules, but what about Syria?

It is sad indeed that there are many grieving families out there who have almost definitely lost loved ones in the downing of a plane in the Indian Ocean. The scenes of despair coming out of KL and the spectre of officials who just don’t have any definitive answers, is galling to say the least. I am not denigrating the loss of more than 200 lives but something must be said about the balance the media, we as individuals and the resources along with the international cooperation; something that is galvanizing, heartening and a sign that we can get it together when the chips are down. We can work together to arrive at an answer.

Why is it then that we cannot replicate this spirit of willingness to help and work together when it comes to other terrible events on the world stage? Is it that there is something that gets to our very souls when it comes to planes crashing, whether it be my human failure of through human evil?! Perhaps there is even an economic motive behind the above togetherness of action.

One does not need to look far to find human suffering on a vast scale and the moves to alleviate these issues meet with dismal failure, simply because there are political forces and power rivalries that subjugate the need to resolve them. That we have millions of refugees pouring out of Syria to put huge pressure on the countries receiving them: That the families and children, the elderly in particular are living in squalid situations without hope for solution. We have the large powers in the background, unable to agree on untied action; action that would need to be many times more powerful that that we are witnessing in the Indian Ocean. There is no will to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Look around many regions in the world and ask the same question. How can we not work together to lessen the suffering of huge sectors of humankind? We are too selfishly travelling down the road of nationalistic, individual power-plays and very often covering up corrupt practices on a huge scale.

I am sure that given the will, matching the need and coming up with the resources that the Syrian issue and others could well be dealt with so that lives are saved and rebuilt. The logjam of despotic rule and regional rivalry is the massive doorstop to finding an opening for a better future.

In the meantime, let us all wish that the relatives and loved ones of those missing in the plane in the Indian Ocean find resolution and understanding about what has happened.